Apparatus for forming and applying strand reinforcement

Claim 1

IN APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND CONVEYING UNIT LENGTHS OF STRAND MATERIAL AND DEPOSITING THE SAME TRANSVERSELY WITH RESPECT TO A LONGITUDINALLY MOVING LENGTH OF STRAND SUPPORTING MATERIAL, WHEREIN THE LENGTHS OF STRAND MATERIAL, AS AN INCIDENT OF THEIR FORMATION, ARE RELEASABLY SECURED TO A PAIR OF SAPCED APART FLEXIBLE CONVEYOR BELTS BY MEANS OF CABLES ENGAGED IN LONGITUDINAL CHANNELS IN THE FRONT SURFACES OF THE FLEXIBLE BELTS, WITH PORTIONS OF THE STRAND LENGTHS SPACED INWARDLY FROM THEIR OPPOSITE ENDS CLAMPED BETWEEN THE CABLES AND THE CHANNELS IN THE BELTS, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES MEANS FOR MOVING THE CONVEYOR BELTS IN DIVERGING PATHS OF TRAVEL RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER, SAID MEANS COMPRISING STRETCHER CHAINS JUXTAPOSED TO THE REAR SURFACES OF THE BELTS, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID STRETCHER CHAINS IN TIMED RELATION TO THE MOVEMENT OF THE BELTS, SAID STRETCHER CHAINS MOUNTING SPACED APART PAIRS OF FLANGES POSITIONED TO ENGAGE THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE BELTS SO AS TO RETAIN THE BELTS THEREBETWEEN, HOLD-DOWN MEANS POSITIONED TO CONTACT THE FRONT FACES OF THE BELTS DURING ENGAGEMENT OF THE BELTS BY FLANGES ON SAID STRETCHER CHAINS, GUIDE MEANS FOR MAINTAINING SAID STRETCHER CHAINS AND THE BELTS ENGAGED THEREBY IN THEIR DIVERGING PATHS OF TRAVEL, SAID GUIDE MEANS COMPRISING FIXEDLY MOUNTED GUIDE BARS LYING ALONG THE SAID DIVERGING PATHS OF TRAVEL, SAID GUIDE BARS EACH HAVING A SLOT THEREIN EXTENDING THROUGHOUT ITS LENGTH, SAID STRETCHER CHAINS ALSO MOUNTING ALIGNED GUIDE TONGUES FITTED INTO SAID SLOTS FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO, SAID GUIDE BARS AND TONGUES COACTING TO MAINTAIN SAID STRETCHER CHAINS AND HENCE THE BELTS ENGAGED THEREBY AGAINST LATERAL AND TILTING MOVEMENT, WHEREBY UPON DIVERGING MOVEMENT OF THE BELTS THE STRAND LENGTHS WILL BE FIRST DRAWN TAUT AND, UPON CONTINUED DIVERGING MOVEMENT OF THE BELTS THE STRAND LENGTHS WILL BE CAUSED TO SLIP RELATIVE TO THE BELTS AND CABLES SO AS TO EFFECTIVELY INCREASE THE LENGTH OF THE PORTIONS OF THE STRAND LENGTHS EXTENDING BETWEEN THE BELTS, THE DIVERING MOVEMENT OF THE BELTS RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER TERMINATING WHEN THE FREE ENDS OF THE STRAND LENGTHS APPROACH THE CABLES WHICH SECURE THE STRAND LENGTHS TO THE BELTS.